The Singing Whistle
by jriddle41
Summary: Decades after the closure of the Mid Sodor Railway, a Heritage Line is set to be built on the remainder of the line's grounds. But during construction, a former Mid Sodor Engine's fate is brought to light in the most unusual of ways...
1. In the Olden Days

The Singing Whistle

A Thomas and Friends Fan Fiction

Based on 'The Singing Bone' by The Brothers Grimm

From October of 1880 to January of 1947, The Mid Sodor Railway used to serve the Island between the towns of Peel Gordred and Arlesburgh, where it would connect with the Arlesburgh Branchline of the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway. Three of the engines who ran this line were Duke, Stuart, and Falcon. They served well in hauling both goods and passenger services. Many of the passengers were holidaymakers who would sail in from the harbors to ride on a special train called 'The Picnic', so they could admire the mountain's beautiful scenery. And the mines would help to bring in plenty of lead and ore

Other engines served the railway aside from the trio, but some of them came and went. One of these was an American tank engine called Stanley. Stanley used to be the railways Number 2 engine, but he was rather cocky. He rode roughly, and often derailed because of his negligence. Duke and the other engines warned him, but he never took them seriously.

"Listen, bud," he drawled at Duke, "in the States, we don't care a dime for a few spills."

"We do _here_," Duke insisted. But Stanley just laughed.

"You worry too much, Dukey," he said. "You need to just calm down and relax."

Unfortunately, Stanley's behavior led to serious consequences. One such morning, Duke had brought Stanley to the Workshop on a flatbed after the stubborn engine had once again derailed. This time, however, it seemed much worse than usual.

"Your recklessness has caused serious damage, Stanley," said the Manager severely. "Your cylinder gear is wrecked, and your frames have been torn completely apart. This time, we can't afford to repair you. But don't you worry. I've still an idea on how to make you useful. No more coming off the rails for you, young engine. In fact, you shouldn't be on the rails at all."

The manager was true to his word. The workmen stripped Stanley of his cab, wheels, and side tanks until he was nothing more than a stationary boiler. Stanley had been converted into a pumping engine.

"You got off a lot easier than you realize, Stanley," Duke scolded as Stanley was placed in a hut behind the sheds. "We tried to help you shape up and be responsible, but you just ignored us. You were given several chances to redeem yourself, but constantly blew them off. And now look what it has cost you."

Stanley said nothing as he watched Duke leave. But his eyes could tell he regretted his choices. All he could do now was watch the other engines puffing past him with their trains. In Stanley's mind, being stripped of his freedom to roam the rails was a fate far worse than being scrapped.

Now to be fair, it wasn't _entirely_ Stanley's fault he had been such a nuisance. He was built cheaply by the War Department, and the workmen never made sure he had been properly fixed up when brought to the Mid Sodor Railway. Needless to say, he continued to be neglected even in his Pumping Engine days. The workmen never bothered to perform regular maintenance on him, and in the years following, he was nearly worn out.

The Mid Sodor Railway had its own fill of bad luck as well. When the Peel Godred Power Company decided to build a new dam and hydro-electrical plant, the North Western Railway began to work on a branchline to the town. This meant there would be less business for the Mid Sodor since it would be too expensive for them to help instead. Because of this, ships stopped bringing in vacationers, many sections of the line had been closed off, and some of the engines were sold to other lines.

Eventually, Stanley had been relocated to the mine at Cas-ny-Hawin. It was the last one opened as all the others had been exhausted during the Second World War. And so long as this mine stood, the railway could still last. The worn out pumping engine was determined to redeem himself for his actions and keep the mines open. Fate, however, had something else in store.

Late one night, in December of 1946, Stanley was being run for a mining night shift. Suddenly, he began coughing as the smoke in his funnel grew thicker. Then the cough evolved into a choke. And from the choking, came a wheezing gasp for air. And if that wasn't enough, sparks began flying from his funnel as well.

"Something's wrong!" cried a Miner. "We've got to shut him down!"

"It could be too dangerous to go near!" insisted a second miner, holding him back. "He could blow at any moment!"

The men ran from Stanley as his problem grew worse. Fortunately, a mining engine was waiting with some empty wagons near the entrance. The miners scrambled aboard the train, and the engine pulled them out. With one last agonizing wheeze, Stanley fell silent as his systems stopped altogether. Stanley... was gone. And without its pumping engine, the mine flooded. By morning, it was beyond rescue, and Stanley's remains were submerged under 3 feet of water.

Nobody knows for sure what happened to make Stanley fail the way he did. Some say that the years of poor maintenance had finally caught up with him. Others insist he pushed himself too hard trying to keep the mine open. But no matter what ideas they had, there was one thing they all agreed on. The Cas-ny-Hawin mine had no further reason to open, so it was closed down.

The engines were very unhappy with this news. With the loss of the mine, this meant their days on the Mid Sodor Railway were truly over. They felt awful about losing the home they'd known for so long. But for Duke, this loss hurt him the most.

"Curse you, Stanley!" he shouted angrily with tears in his eyes. "I always knew you'd bring this railway to ruin, and now you _have_!"

A month later, in January of 1947, the Mid Sodor Railway had closed. A very bittersweet way to start off a new year. The engines and rolling stock were all put up for sale. While Stuart and Falcon had been sold to the Peel Godred Aluminium Works, Duke had been left behind. As the shed doors closed on him, the curtain had fallen on the Mid Sodor Railway. While Duke slept to pass the time, he would keep remembering the times he had spent with his friends. But every time he thought of Stanley, he became angry. It was clear that he still held Stanley responsible for the Railway's closure.

But while the tales of the Mid Sodor Railway's Days of yore had come to an end, the story of Stanley was far from finished...


	2. Digging up the Past

In the years that followed the Mid Sodor Railway's Closure, things had taken a turn for the better. Stuart and Falcon eventually came to the Skarloey Railway, and were renamed Peter Sam and Sir Handel. Some of the Mid Sodor's old lines were replaced with those of the Arlesdale Miniature Railway, which brought in ballast from the old mines, as well as handling passengers. And perhaps the best turn out, after many years of sleeping in his shed, Duke was finally discovered and taken to his new home on the Skarloey Railway, where he was reunited with his two pupils. But while Peter Sam and Sir Handel had gained a bit of maturity from their time on the Skarloey Railway, there was often times where they would repeat their old cheeky behavior.

"Engines come and engines go. Grandpuff goes on forever!" they chanted playfully.

"You impertinent scallywags," Duke scolded with a chuckle. "Even after all these years, you're still the same cheeky rascals I remember."

"I guess some things never change, Grandpuff," said Peter Sam innocently.

"Indeed," added Sir Handel. "You know, it sounds a rather bad, but I'm almost glad the Mid Sodor Railway closed."

"What?!" spluttered Duke, sounding rather offended. "You're happy that we lost our home, and I had to spend decades sleeping in a shed?"

"Oh of course not!" Sir Handel corrected. "While it was awful losing our home, and fearing about what was to become of you, it served as a blessing in disguise."

"A blessing in disguise?" Duke asked, a bit puzzled.

"That's right, Grandpuff," Peter Sam added. "Sometimes when bad things happen, something good eventually comes from it. While it was heartbreaking having to say goodbye to our old home, had the Mid Sodor line not closed, we never would have found our way to the Skarloey Railway. And we never would have made so many wonderful new friends. And that means you never would have been reunited with us."

Duke softened up a bit as the realization came to mind.

"Hmm..." he said. "Perhaps you're right, Peter Sam. I hadn't actually thought of it that way before. You seem to have a knack for seeing the positive side of things sometimes."

"Indeed I do," said Peter Sam. "Do you recall Sir Handel telling you how he pretended to be ill?"

"Yes," grunted Duke. "I hear you ended up having an accident at the slate mines because of it."

"I already apologized over a thousand times!" protested Sir Handel.

"Ahem!" Peter Sam interrupted the two so he could continue. "Well, had the accident never happened, then Duncan never would have had a reason to be brought here. And who knows what would have happened to him."

"Very true," Sir Handel remarked. "While Duncan may be a rather blunt, arrogant stinker at times, he's still a rather valuable colleague."

"Indeed," agreed Duke. "I'll take him over that terror Stanley any day."

With that, Duke set back to work.

"He's still blaming Stanley for the railway shutting down, isn't he?" asked Peter Sam.

"I'm afraid so," Sir Handel confirmed. "Stubborn old coot doesn't seem keen on letting go of the past."

"I really wish Grandpuff would forgive him," said Peter Sam. "It's not right to hold onto bitterness from the past like this."

"So do I," sighed Sir Handel. "But what can either of us do about it?"

A little bit later, the rest of the engines were gathered in the yard for a meeting. The Thin Controller, Mr. Percival, had big news.

"A preservation committee is planning to restore the remaining sections of the Mid Sodor Railway into a heritage line," he announced. "The line will connect towards the Wharf at Ulfstead. Once the proper arrangements are made, we will go about and assist with the work."

Duke, Sir Handel, and Peter Sam were very excited to hear this news.

"Hooray!" cried Peter Sam. "They're bringing our home back!"

"Out of curiosity, sir," ventured Duke, "was anything mentioned about former Mid Sodor Engines coming back as well, or are they going to use brand new engines altogether?"

"They were able to acquire some of the Mid Sodor's original engines," Mr. Percival said. "They will arrive some time before the line is fully finished."

"Well how about that?" smiled Sir Handel. "It'll be just like a Family Reunion."

"The Spirit of the Mid Sodor Railway has lived on through all these years," smiled Duke. "I can't wait to see some of our old friends again."

"It will be great to have our old 'Golden Line' back," said Peter Sam.

"'Golden Line'?" asked Rusty. "That's a rather odd name for a line, don't you think?"

"The nickname stems from an old urban legend," explained Duke. "You see, rumor speculated that a rich miner had a storage house filled to the brim with gold on the land that would eventually house our railway, and some of the workmen tried to dig and find it. But nothing was ever found or proven."

Work, meanwhile, had begun on the Mid Sodor Heritage Line. Trees and rocks were dug out of the way to make way for the rails and ballast. Eventually, enough rails had been laid out for the engines to deliver supplies where they were needed. Their first stop was at the remains of the Mid Sodor Railway's shed and workshop. As a rather fitting idea, the Thin Controller sent Duke, Sir Handel, and Peter Sam to tend to these deliveries while sometimes spending the night there. This meant that other engines would help with their usual jobs in addition. Duncan was not happy about this at all.

"All this extra work..." he grumbled. "I knew this restoration idea had a catch to it. Why do those three get to go galavantin' around while we get stuck with their jobs?"

"That old line was once their home," Skarloey corrected. "It's only natural for them to be chosen since they would better know their way around."

"Think of it this way, Duncan," Rheneas added. "At least you won't have to put up with Sir Handel's Shakespearean banter in his sleep for a while."

"Thank goodness for small mercies," Duncan sighed.

Meanwhile, the former Mid Sodor Trio were taking a slight rest when a foreman came up.

"Some of the men found some scrap metal in the Cas-ny-Hawin mine," he said. "The lorry that was meant to bring it up has broken down. Could one of you go down and collect the load instead?"

"Cas-ny-Hawin?" peeped Sir Handel.

"Grandpuff," Peter Sam turned to the elder engine, "isn't that the place where-?"

"Yes," agreed Duke. "That was our last mine before the railway closed. And it was also served as a final resting place for the one responsible for its flooding."

The engines were interrupted by the sound of a horn. And within seconds, a lorry pulled into the yard. The load on its back caused the three engines to gasp in shock and surprise. On the lorry's flatbed was the rusted remains of what looked like an old boiler. Parts of it had rotted away from being under water for so many years. While the shape was barely recognizable by the workmen, the engines knew what, or _who_, it once was.

"Stanley..."


End file.
